I’ve decided to write a series of posts regarding the depth in the Twins system, or possibly lack thereof depending on how you feel about a particular position. I plan to go position by position in hopes to shed some light on who could make an impact as early as 2023, or who may make an impact within a few years. I was inspired by Nick Nelson’s posts regarding the major league team, but didn’t want to duplicate what he did, so I will only be writing about the guys not on the 40-man roster, because Nick has done a great job analyzing the position at the major league level.

I started with catchers, then discussed 1st baseman. In this iteration, I will talk about 2^nd baseman. I used Roster Resource’s depth chart, which can be found on FanGraphs. Here is a note on each player listed under 2^nd base in the Twins system not on the 40-man roster. I’ll list how they were acquired and what level they are currently at in the minors.

1. Hernán Perez
   Acquired: Free Agency, March 2023
   Level: AAA

It’s safe to say Perez was a depth signing, as we saw a lot of this past offseason with the Twins. Perez is a light hitting utility infield with experience at the major league over parts of 10 years. His most productive season was in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he stole 34 bases and hit .272. During that season, he still had a below average OPS+ of 91. I’m not sure you’ll see Perez in the major leagues this season unless injuries ravage the many guys ahead of him on the 2^nd base depth chart. Having a guy with a good amount of major league experience in the high minors is nice because he provides depth at not just 2^nd base, but shortstop and 3^rd base as well.

2. Alerick Soularie
   Acquired: Draft – 2^nd round - 2020
   Level: AA

If you follow prospects closely, you have probably seen some on Soularie. He’s been in the Twins system for a few years now and has yet to really make an impact with the bat to this point. In 2 seasons in the minors, he has a slash line of .231/.343/.376. This shows that he walked at a decent clip, but he struck out at a pretty high rate as well. Cutting down on strikeouts and making more consistent contact will be key to unlocking the next level in Soularie’s offensive game. As for defense, he is listed as a 2^nd baseman, but had just as many games across the outfield last year, which is always beneficial to have a guy who can be out in the grass and not look completely lost.

3. Mikey Perez
   Acquired: Draft – 15^th round - 2021
   Level: AA

Perez was drafted in the 15^th round out of UCLA, after hitting .243/.366/.443 across 3 seasons with the Bruins. In two seasons since, Perez has continued to walk at a high rate and even started to tap into a bit more power with more extra base hits. Perez made it up to AAA St. Paul for one game this past year, getting 1 at bat and making the most of hit, hitting a 3-run home run. While that’s great, it makes since that he has started the year at AA Wichita, after spending the majority of the year at Low-A Fort Myers in 2022. Perez is an interesting prospect to break down because he wasn’t highly touted but he has held his own. Hitting with a little more contact will be what propels him to that next level if he is able to reach it. Perez played mostly 2^nd base, but did play a handful of games at 1^st base, and also had some guys as shortstop and in left field as well. Getting young players to play different positions is not uncommon, but it appears his future is as a 2^nd baseman. Keep an eye out for Perez to cut down on strikeouts and see if he can continue to get some extra base this year as well.

4. Dalton Shuffield
   Acquired: Draft – 10^th round - 2022
   Level: High-A

Shuffield was drafted one year ago out of Texas State University. He played 5 seasons at Texas State, hitting .327/.395/501, which is a pretty solid slash line at any level. After getting drafted, he had games at three different levels, rookie ball, high-A, and AAA. He’s played a total of 25 minor league games, so he is still pretty fresh out of college. This year will be his first full year at pro ball and it appears he will start the year at high-A Cedar Rapids. For a more in depth look, check out Cody Christie’s article for Twins Daily on Shuffield this past September here. As Cody mentions, Shuffield could move up through the system pretty quickly if he continues to hit like he has. Shuffield played mostly shortstop in college, but is listed as a second baseman at this time.

5. Rubel Cespedes
   Acquired: Amateur Free Agent, 2019
   Level: High-A

Cespedes was signed as a minor league free agent in 2019 and has played across a few different levels ever since. He signed as an 18 year old out of the Dominican Republic. He has a career slash of .254/.312/372 over his 3 seasons (he did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic). Cespedes first played as a 1^st baseman and 3^rd baseman, but has shifted to mostly 2^nd base over the past two seasons. His 2^nd most played position in 2022 was 1^st base, followed by 3^rd base and also had three games played in left field. Cespedes will play this year, his age 22 season, at high-A Cedar Rapids. You may have seen during Twins exhibition game versus the Dominican Republic that Cespedes got a chance to represent his country, which must have been a really neat opportunity for him.

6. Tanner Schobel
   Acquired: Draft – 2^nd round - 2022
   Level: Low-A

Schobel was drafted this past year in the 2^nd round out of Virginia Tech, after hitting .362/.445/689 in 59 games playing for the Hokies. In his first taste of professional ball, Schobel showed his ability to take walks at high level, which will help him going forward. Schobel’s body of work has him ranked as the #17 ranked prospect in the Twins system, and #18 on the Twins Daily rankings. Schobel played a good amount of shortstop in college, but it’s possible because of the depth there, he moves to another position. Keep an eye out for Schobel to slowly climb the ladder and be possibly knocking on the door of the majors within the next couple of years.

7. Yilber Herrera
   Acquired: Amateur Free Agent, 2022
   Level: Rookie

Signed in 2022 as an Amateur Free Agent out of the Dominican Republic, Herrera’s tools are quite raw, but have some potential in there. He didn’t hit particularly well in his professional debut, but that’s not uncommon for young players. He did show an ability to take walks, even when he wasn’t getting many hits. In his first 43 professional games in 2022, he hit .181/.349/310. Lots of room to still grow, but if his ability to take walks continues to be a big part of his game, one would hope the traditional 5 tools would all come along to make him into a decent ball player. Lots of time still, but he will likely spend most of the year at rookie ball this year.

8. Fredy Michel
   Acquired: Amateur Free Agent, 2021
   Level: Rookie

Signed in 2021 as an amateur free agent, Michel has played in both the Dominican Summer League and the Florida Complex League the past two seasons. He signed for $1.1 million and was ranked #28 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 international prospects list in 2021.In 2021, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com said about Michel, “likely suited for the top of the lineup because of his speed and power combination. He makes lots of hard contact with his short, quick swings from both sides of the plate. The high-energy prospect can spray the ball to all fields with authority.” Michel career slash of .169/.315/.252 is kind of interesting but not a huge things to worry about, as he is still young and developing. He is still just 18 years old, turning 19 in July. He’ll likely spend the year, or most of it, in the Florida Complex League. He’s got quite a small frame, listed at 5’9” and 154 lbs. Here’s to hoping he can continue to develop and live up to some of the hype from when the Twins signed him a couple of years ago.

Let me know which of these guys you are most excited about or who you will be keeping an eye on. If a guy is not listed here, he may be listed as another position